


Coffee Shops and Criminals

by sunriseandsunshine



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Fugitive Shane, M/M, coffee shop au sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 22:35:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20317120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunriseandsunshine/pseuds/sunriseandsunshine
Summary: Shane's trying to rebuild his life. If that includes falling in love with the mysterious man at the cafe who reads books about Bigfoot and Jack the Ripper, then so be it.





	Coffee Shops and Criminals

**Author's Note:**

> ahh idek this has been an interesting thing to write. pls enjoyyyyyy. 
> 
> i go back to school in a couple weeks and i am so not ready for alllat but its fine. im fine. 
> 
> this is such a weird idea and im slightly proud of it. esp the title ngl.

Shane can barely remember life before. All he remembers is now. The dirty motel rooms, the fake names, the disguises. Running. It’s no way to live, he knows, but he doesn’t have any other option. 

C.C. Tinsley, his favorite alias, checks out of this week's motel and gets on the highway. Shane needs to be to the northern tip of Michigan by tonight. He’s halfway through the state at 6 am, odds are he’ll be fine. And he can’t risk getting pulled over, his fake ID is real enough to buy alcohol, not real enough to trick a cop or a database. His passport, on the other hand, is going to get him across the border into Canada. 

At this moment, it's the only thing that matters. The sooner he’s in Canada the sooner he can breathe. He doesn’t know if they’re after him. Better to be safe than sorry. 

He pulls into a rest area to go through the McDonald’s drive-thru. He’s hours ahead of schedule and has barely eaten in 3 weeks. Only drinking water bottles he stocked up on before he left and a few snacks. 

He pulls into the motel two hours later. 

There’s one more barrier, The Canada-U.S. border.

His gut is telling him he shouldn’t stay in this motel. Its paint is peeling, the odor is as fouler than a decaying corpse and the walls are paper-thin. He checks out early and finds himself at the border. 

The line is long, even for nine in the evening, and slow. So slow. He sits patiently. His best poker face on. He turns up the radio. It’s an older song, from the 80s maybe, and it brings a smile to his face as he taps along to the beat on his steering wheel. And now he's there. He hands the agent his passport and sits there. Not stopping the tapping on the wheel. It feels like an eternity. She lets him through.

He made it. 

The air in Canada even smells like freedom. Which makes him giggle to himself at the irony. He doesn't drive for much longer, reaching a small town with a cozy bed and breakfast. The comforter is a crisp white and softer than anything he’s ever felt. He allows himself to fall into it, and soon falls into the best sleep he's had in months. 

Sunlight peered through the curtains, waking him. It was the first pleasant morning he’s had in...forever. He pulls himself from the fluffy pillows and gets dressed. 

He sees a cafe in the distance and decides to stop. The bell above the door signals his arrival, getting the attention of one of the employees. She’s got short black hair and a black ensemble to match. The only color on her is the name tag on her black shirt, which reads, “Jen.” 

“Hey sir, what can I get you?” The girl, Jen, says. 

“A black coffee and chocolate chip muffin should be fine, thank you.” 

“Alright, that’ll be $4.57.” 

He hands her 5 Canadian dollars and puts the remainder of the change in the little tip jar next to the register. He stands at the counter, phone-less, looking over the menu. It’s written on a chalkboard in pretty cursive writing. “Here you go sir, enjoy.” 

He sits at a table in the little shop. All the furniture is wooden, and it fits the atmosphere perfect. There’s only one other person in the cafe. He has his back to Shane and is typing away at his computer. He’s got three books surrounding him and he keeps stopping to read, then typing more. He’s done it about three times before Shane realizes he’s staring at the guy. He focuses his attention back on the muffin. 

He manages to find a Walmart a bit out of town. He decides to buy a cheap, prepaid phone so he can get calls back from the jobs he applies to. Including the Walmart, that had about 20 hiring signs all over. 

Shane heads back towards the bed and breakfast in town. Stopping at a diner on the way. He notices a hiring sign there and decides to apply. 

The tension in his shoulders releases as he lets the warmth of the shower surround him. He wishes he could stay under the water forever. Curiosity gets the best of him when he gets out, and he searches his name, his real one, and doesn’t find a single thing. He decides he's safe. For now, at least. 

The sun wakes him up again this morning. He decides to go to the cafe again today. The guy he had seen there still in his mind. A part of him hopes he’s there again. The bell clings as he walks in and the same girl from yesterday looks up. “Hey, sir, what can I get for you this morning?” 

“Just a..black coffee and a blueberry muffin please?” 

“That’ll be $4.57.” 

Shane hands her a 5, placing the change in the little tip jar. He looks around the cafe and sees him. This time he can see his face. He’s got a pen between his teeth. He’s reading through some books. He squints his eyes to try and see but it looks like one says Bigfoot and he can’t fathom why anyone would be that concentrated on a book about that. He thanks her as he takes the muffin and coffee. He finds a seat across from the Bigfoot lover. 

Shane's unsure of what he’s expecting: a quick smile, maybe a conversation and a number exchange. He had barely sat down when he got a call from some number. “Hello?” 

The person on the other line asked if he was Alexander Stevens and stated she was from the diner. Shane breathed a quick sigh of relief. “Yes, this is he.” 

“If you’re still interested in a position on our waitstaff we would love to have you come in today for an interview. Say around..noon?” 

“Noon works,” Shane answered. “Thank you.” 

Noon wasn’t for another four hours. He had plenty of time to go out and buy nicer clothes, more suitable for an interview. He began making plans in his head as he enjoyed his breakfast. Shane glanced up at the other man in the cafe and noticed him staring. He looked back down at his work as soon as Shane looked up. 

He let his eyes linger on him until the other guy glanced up again, this time meeting Shane’s eyes. He smiled. 

It was a small, polite smile that was nothing more than an acknowledgment of his existence. But it made Shane want to see it again. See it forever. 

He gave a little wave. Not only to be friendly but to invite conversation. He was surprised when he reciprocated. Shane looked down at his phone to check the time. Thirty minutes had passed. He still had to go shopping and rush to the diner, he should’ve left twenty minutes ago. But he couldn’t find it in him to care. 

He felt his face starting to warm up from the prolonged eye contact and looked back down. His muffin was nothing more than crumbs and his coffee was a quarter full. Shane knew he should get going. 

There wasn’t enough time to go to the nearest department store for any new clothes, instead of changing into the nicest things he had. A pale blue button-down and tan jeans. Despite his lack of time, he looked put together. And totally hireable. 

As he pulled into the diner he glanced at his phone, 5 minutes until the scheduled interview. He figured he could order a cup of tea beforehand to both pass the time and calm his nerves. The last time he interviewed for a job was three years ago and he barely got that one. Sure, this wasn’t an office job for one of the biggest companies in Los Angeles, but an interview nonetheless. 

The woman he had talked to over the phone came out from the kitchen. Greeting Shane with a firm handshake and a smile. Her energy was nothing but positive and kind. The type that would keep you coming back time and again to the small diner. “Hi Alexander, I’m Sara. We spoke over the phone,” The lady said. 

She sat down and set the clipboard on her lap. “I’m going to ask a few easy questions, a couple pertaining to the job and one or two that are more personality specific. Before we start is there any questions you have for me?” 

“Yes, actually, would this be full time or part-time?” 

“We need full-time staff at the moment,” Shane nodded. “Is that all?” 

He gave a warm smile before answering, “Yes.” 

“Ok, well, the main thing we look for in our waiters is that they can be personable and create a..home-y environment. The kind that keeps you coming back. What makes you think you can create that atmosphere?” 

“I grew up in a small town in Illinois, going to this tiny diner that was always packed. It became a second home to me and my friends in high school. The year my brother left for college, my mom got sick, and we aren’t lucky enough to have universal health care in the States yet,” Sara gave a small laugh, “So it put a real strain on my family. I took a job at the diner. And fell in love with the job. If I could’ve stayed there forever I would’ve..” 

“Why did you leave?” 

Shane waited a moment before answering. “I went off to college in LA. And I want to return to that. Feel that feeling once more. I’ve always been good at remembering things, like orders, and I’ve got long limbs that definitely assist in holding on to things.” She giggled. 

“I’ve got to say, Alexander, you seem charming enough to be a great addition to the team. I’ve got a couple more questions...hypothetical situations I would like to hear how you’d solve the issue,” Shane nodded. “Alright, a lady comes in and asks to have a meal that is no longer served, how do you handle this?” 

“Well, I’d say, ‘Ma’am, I’m terribly sorry but we don’t offer that anymore. There are some other meals that are similar to it if you would like to look them over?’” 

Sara smiled. “That seems like a good approach. One more situation…” 

“Bring it on,” Shane said. 

“A friend comes in and the hostess assigns you to the table, how would you handle that?” 

“I’d ask the hostess to change tables, it’s a conflict of interest,” Shane remembered how often he had to do that back in high school. 

She pursed her lips as if she was contemplating asking else. “Great. I’ll give you a call soon, this has been a great interview.” She offered her hand to Shane. 

He shook her hand. “I’ll be expecting it, thank you.” 

This new life was turning out to be..not that bad. The only thing Shane did miss was his family, he couldn’t see them ever again, as much as he wanted to. He didn’t even get to tell them the truth, the hardest part by far was lying to them. His brother’s words were still fresh in his mind, “Be careful out there, I’ll see you when you get back.” 

But he wouldn’t. Ever. He only had a photo he had grabbed from his parents when he had said goodbye to them, it was from Christmas last year. His mom had decided a family picture was a good idea. Complete with ugly sweaters and awkward smiles. Looking at it now, he wished he was back in that moment. Itchy reindeer sweater and all. His brother’s arm slung around his shoulder, his mom on her tiptoes and his dad’s thumb up. He began to tear up, putting the picture back in its place in his wallet. 

He flipped on the TV to the news. It was some feel-good puff piece, nothing about a wanted fugitive from the United States. Shane knew he’d always be looking over his shoulder. He may have gotten to safety, but he would never feel true freedom ever again. It was the price he had to pay. 

And sure, he could look on the bright side. 

He would not have seen or waved at, the man in the cafe without this whole situation. And he wouldn’t have gotten to reminisce on his high school days in his hometown. But he wishes it had been different. He wishes he did a lot of things different. 

He has to focus on the future now. Not look back at his past mistakes, but look forward to all his future accomplishments. Shane was determined to make the best of all of..whatever this is. No matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhhhhhh what do u guys think???? 
> 
> subscribe so u dont miss an update, bookmark for later, comment predictions or praises, and leave a kudos. 
> 
> love you all.


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